The Opposition's arguments against FutureCare do not add up, according to the Premier.

He said their concerns that it was discriminatory did not match their complaints that there needs to be a means test for the programme.

An amendment to the Health Insurance Act was tabled and passed in the House of Assembly on Monday.

It will see premiums for seniors on phase one of the Government's comprehensive health coverage plan increase to $300 a month while seniors admitted into the second phase in April will pay $600 a month, Health Minister Walter Roban said.

Opposition MP for health, Louise Jackson, reiterated her view on Monday that FutureCare was discriminatory because it charged one group $300 and another $600 for the same benefits.

Government MPs heckled many of Mrs. Jackson's comments and at times the Health Minister and Premier stood on a Point of Order accusing Mrs. Jackson of misleading the public. Speaker Stanley Lowe stopped Mrs. Jackson at one point to tell her it was not a long ranging debate on FutureCare, but rather a debate on legislation to pass new premium rates for the programme.

But Mrs. Jackson said it was her duty to raise concerns about the programme, adding that she thought it was wrong that 70-year-olds would be expected to pay $600.

And she said it was not acceptable that FutureCare already had $970,000 outstanding payments to physicians.

"They are taking claims but not paying the physicians," she said. "Obviously that is poor planning, they cannot pay their claims."

Premier Ewart Brown said the Opposition's arguments against FutureCare did not appear to match up.

"One of the concerns of the Opposition is that there are some people who pay $300 and some that pay $600, but that same Opposition criticised us for not having a means test.

"I think they want to have their cake and eat it too. It is very clear why there are two categories. The $300 rate is for people who cannot afford more than that."

Dr. Brown said many of the people admitted in the first phase were those unable to afford private scheme and had instead joined Government's basic coverage Health Insurance Plan, although he said phase one probably also included some people who may have been able to afford more expensive plans but had decided they only wanted HIP.

And he said the second category was for people who were already on schemes in the private sector and paying double the $600 premium they will be charged for FutureCare.

"I don't think it is fair to say on the one hand they think there should be a means tests and then that they don't understand why one group pays less."

But Opposition MP Grant Gibbons said the Premier's explanation for the two price categories did not take into account 70-year-olds that have just stopped working and been dropped by their former employers' insurance programme.

He said many in phase two may be unable to pay for the $600 premium required to be a member of phase two of FutureCare.

"I hear the rationale, but frankly we simply don't buy it," he said.

Dr. Gibbons said he believed the price had gone up between phase one and two because the Government realised it could not afford it.

Independent MP Wayne Furbert, a former United Bermuda Party leader, said: "What amazes me about the Opposition is that they complain about $300 and complain about $600 but they have not said publicly what the policy should be." And he turned to Dr. Gibbons and said:

"Stand up and tell the public what your plan would be. If the Opposition was in Government now what would seniors be paying now?"

To which Dr. Gibbons said: "It is on our website."

Opposition MP Patricia Gordon Pamplin said it would be beneficial if actuarial reports on FutureCare and projections had been tabled in the House. Adding that the premium rate for the third phase of FutureCare, which will see people aged 66-69 accepted in the programme in April 2011, was still not known.

Education Minister El James said he had gone on the United Bermuda Party website and it said they believed in basic coverage for all seniors in need, which was similar to HIP.

The UBP website states if in Government the party would provide basic health care for every senior in need, provide free prescription drugs and eyeglasses for seniors in need, plug the gaps in health care coverage for seniors by aggressively pursuing insurance reform and work with the private sector to develop new health-related insurance products for seniors, including a medical pension scheme.

Mr. James invited the Opposition to visit his constituency as people seemed very happy with FutureCare.

"The people I am speaking to, when HIP got changed to FutureCare they were saying 'Whew, I would love to get into that programme.' Seniors health insurance goes up every year in the private sector."

Bermuda Democratic Alliance MP Shawn Crockwell said his party believed that FutureCare was helping seniors and understood the need for a phased approach to the programme.

His main concern he said was that it would have "deleterious" impact cost wise on the country in the long term.

And Government Minister Zane DeSilva said private firms should bear the brunt of criticism for accepting premiums from people throughout their young lives for health care and then dropping them once they reach 65 and needed more health care.

Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards said when it came Government's statements that FutureCare had been well thought out and was being well managed: "I'm afraid not. "What have we been talking about over the last two weeks? Mismanagement, I've said it and I am not going any further.

"The question is how are we going to pay for this."

BDA MP Donte Hunt said the main concern for him was what the third phase would cost, but added seniors he spoke to were happy to be on the programme.

"People are saying it is a great programme and they cannot wait to get on it, but their only concern is they don't know what it will cost for phase three."

Minister of Works and Engineering Derrick Burgess said: "I think people are forgetting what is really happening out there. When people are going 65 insurance companies are saying 'we don't want them'.

The Government has stepped in and said these people have to be insured."

Opposition MP Cole Simmons said: "We are a small company and when an actuarial study is done there is enough information to give actuarial projections from 2009 to 2030. I believe this should be public."